


Freedom in Confinement

by AozoraSkies



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Bottom Lio Fotia, Dom Galo Thymos, Dom/sub Play, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Explicit Consent, Explicit Sexual Content, Kink Exploration, Light BDSM, Light Bondage, Lio Fotia-centric, Lio can have little a punishment...as a treat, M/M, Orgasm Delay/Denial, PWP, Porn with Feelings, Post-Canon, Rope Bondage, Sub Lio Fotia, Tickle Play, Top Galo Thymos, am I cramming way too much into a one-shot?, blindfolding, it's just porn, narrative heavy, so much world building you'd think this was going to be a multichapter fic but nope, two idiots who are madly in love, we at 17k baybee, you betcha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:53:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23407081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AozoraSkies/pseuds/AozoraSkies
Summary: If there was one thing Lio Fotia thought he would never come to know, it was the concept of stability. A daily routine. A predictable schedule. A roof consistently over his head - the same roof, at that. It had been almost a year since he and Galo set the world ablaze, and about eight months since they set each other's hearts ablaze. And before he knew it, he'd found he'd fallen precisely into that which he once thought a joke: stability.Having found themselves settling into a life of domesticity, Lio and Galo learn how to be more comfortable with each other, and perhaps learn a little bit moreabouteach other.-----What started out as a PWP turned into 2/3 fluff and 1/3 porn. Chapter 1 is almost entirely fluff, with only mentions of sex. Chapter 2 is where the explicit content is at.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 36
Kudos: 214





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H-Hello, everyone! I'll be honest, I'm nervous as heck posting this. I haven't written anything in years, and what I have written isn't much, but Promare brain rot is very real, so here I am. 
> 
> I want to give a shout-out to [@captain_trashmouth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_trashmouth/pseuds/captain_trashmouth) whose incredible writing inspired me to pick up the pen again. If you don't already follow them, then I implore you to ditch this fic and go read all their stuff right now!
> 
> This was intended to be a PWP oneshot but somehow turned into 17k words. Don't ask me to explain myself because I can't. I broke it down into two parts to make it easier to read. As I mentioned in the summary, chapter 1 is mostly fluff, and the explicit content is in chapter 2.
> 
> Anyway, enough intro. Hope you enjoy! (:

If there was one thing Lio Fotia thought he would never come to know, it was the concept of stability. A daily routine. A predictable schedule. A roof consistently over his head - the _same_ roof, at that. It had been almost a year since he and Galo set the world ablaze, and about eight months since they set each other's hearts ablaze. And before he knew it, he'd found he'd fallen precisely into that which he once thought a joke: stability.

As he hung his bunker coat on its hook and joined Galo in bidding the rest of the Burning Rescue crew a good night, he knew exactly what would happen next: he and Galo would head home together, stopping to pick up either take-out or groceries on the way (depending on whether or not Galo felt like cooking), and then they'd wind down in each other's company before turning in for the night - just as they had the night before. And the night before that, and the night before that. 

But this complacency was months in the making. Truth be told, even though he'd spent his entire life working to obtain this freedom, it took a long time to convince himself that he actually _had_ it, that there was no longer a time limit to how long he could stay in one place before the bogeyman would find him, and that yes it _is_ okay to get used to this new life. Even now, he often finds himself wondering how on Earth he came to be so fortunate when a year ago, every day was a fight for survival. It was crazy, really.

They'd decided on dinner plans before they even made it to Galo's bike. Lio not-so-subtly hinted that the stir fry recipe Galo had been perfecting over the last couple of months sounded nice, if he was up for it, to which the chef was amenable. They stopped in at the grocery store to pick up the ingredients (and maybe a dessert or two) and made their way back to their apartment.

Galo carried the bag into the kitchen and plopped it on the counter, then made his way to the bedroom to dress down into something more comfortable. Lio kicked off his shoes by the shoe rack and took this opportunity to empty the bag and get a head-start on rinsing the vegetables. He was mostly useless in the kitchen, having honestly no idea how to do anything that involved more steps than just heating something up, but this much at least he could do. As he set the last of the freshly-washed vegetables on the cutting board, the sound of a door opening down the hall indicated to him his timing was perfect.

Galo rounded the corner, now wearing his lounging shorts and tank, and eyed the vegetables all neatly laid out and ready to be cut. "Oh, thanks!" he said, ruffling the blonde's hair as he passed behind him. "Guess I can jump right in, huh?" 

Lio smiled as he dried his hands on the towel that hung over the handle of the oven door. "It's the least I can do, considering you're doing most of the work."

"You make it sound like it's a chore!" the taller man shot back, then crouched down to pull a large skillet out of the cabinet. "I like to cook. Assuming I'm not a zombie by the time I get outta work." 

With the floor now turned over to Galo, Lio took a seat in his usual place at the breakfast bar and let the chef get to work.

Lio loved the nights when Galo had the extra energy to cook. He'd sit at the counter and watch him work, and they'd recount the events of the day. Galo wasn't an outstanding cook by any means. The meals he cobbled together were usually pretty simple; a little sloppy, but always delicious. Before he met Lio, he'd been much more reliant on TV dinners and things that could be tossed in the oven for a few minutes. But after he'd learned that Lio had spent most of his life scavenging daily for nothing but (often expired) non-perishable goods, literally anything that would supply some form of calories, he decided that Lio would never eat anything out of a can again if he could help it. So he took it upon himself to start learning how to cook for the both of them. (Aina informing him that "the quickest way to a woman's heart is through her stomach" may have also had something to do with this decision.)

Lio smiled silently to himself. He wasn't exactly sure what he'd done to deserve someone who loved him as unconditionally as Galo did. Galo was the type to put his everything into... well, everything, and his relationship with Lio was no exception. Lio could feel his warmth through even the smallest of things, like how he'd always remember the foods Lio didn't care for, or how he'd take Lio's empty glass with him to the kitchen when he went to get himself more water just so that Lio wouldn't have to unearth himself from his blanket pile on the couch. Was he really giving back as much as Galo was giving him? Could he ever give Galo as much as he deserved? He loved the dopey firefighter more than he could ever express with words, but still he wondered if there wasn't more he could do. 

The loud sizzle of hot oil and the aroma of cooking onion pulled him from his thoughts and back to the present. As his eyes wandered over to where Galo stood, he noticed his cobalt-haired companion eyeing him curiously. "You're unusually quiet, even for you. Everything okay?"

Lio nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, sorry. Just a little tired, so I'm staring out into space I guess."

That seemed to satisfy the cook enough that he didn't press further. He turned back around and resumed stirring. "Hang in there! Dinner won't take long."

The blonde rested his chin on his hand and let a foot swing idly in the air, his legs having plenty of clearance over the bar stool's low foot rest. His eyes roamed over the counter in front of him in search of something to occupy his attention while he waited, and stopped when they landed on the box of cake slices they'd each picked out for themselves. 

By the recommendation of Galo's foodie friend, Varys, they'd decided to poke their heads into a grocery store that was a smidge more upscale than the mom-and-pop they frequented just up the street. It was a little out of the way, being a few streets past their apartment, but Varys swore up and down that it was worth checking out, so they'd decided to give it a test run with tonight's small grocery list. As it turned out, the store did live up to the hype, with their produce being just about the only thing they sold that was familiar to the pair (and even then there were a number of exotic fruits and vegetables they'd never seen before). The store's bakery had an entire case full of individual cake slices that came in a variety of unusual flavors. Lio started to question if he'd just been so out of touch with what was sold in stores that he didn't remember what normal cake flavors were anymore, but Galo assured him that even he had never heard a lot of them. 

So their impulse shopping for a sweet treat turned into an adventure. There were many tempting choices, but Lio eventually decided on the one labeled "hummingbird" for himself. He had absolutely no idea what the hell kind of flavor "hummingbird" was supposed to be, but it just sounded so absurd and different, he had to find out. And now that he was staring right at the box, his curiosity piqued again. Perhaps he could sneak a taste before dinner was ready.

It was probably the sound of the cardboard sliding on the counter that tipped him off, as Galo whipped around to find the source of whatever it was he'd heard. A loud "HEY!" was all the warning Lio got before he felt a light slap of metal against the back of his hand. "Don't you dare open that! I'm almost done! Seriously, I just have to heat up the leftover rice and then you can eat." 

Lio looked up to see Galo pointing his spatula at him threateningly, a suspicious eyebrow raised as if waiting to see if Lio would reach for the box again. Instead, Lio withdrew his hand and gave Galo a defeated pout. "Yes, _Mother_ ," he drawled in the most sarcastic tone he could muster. 

Now that the back of his hand had a lovely splat of oil and steak juice on it, he slid out of the bar stool and went into the kitchen to wash it off. As he passed behind Galo, he clicked his tongue at him in mock irritation, a small smile betraying his lips as he did so, and then turned his attention to the sink. But he should've known better than to let his guard down so quickly after doing something that would get a rise out of Galo, because maybe then he wouldn't have let out such an embarrassingly effeminate yelp and launched his knee into the wooden cabinet beneath the sink when a swift pinch to his ass caught him by surprise.

Galo barked out a loud laugh, which was met with a wet punch to the arm by the shorter man (and whose complexion was a little pinker than it was 10 seconds before). "That's what you get, you little shit." He pointed his spatula in the direction of the living room. "Now go sit your ass down on the couch. I'll bring your food out to you." 

Though that hadn't been one of his most dignified moments, Lio couldn't help himself from laughing. He figured he'd probably been enough of a thorn in Galo's side, so after he finished rinsing off his hand, he went straight into the living room as he was told. He plopped himself down with his back against the arm rest so that he could stretch his legs out over the rest of the couch. Though it hadn't hurt nearly as much as it sounded like it did, he could still feel the phantom sting where his knee had made contact with the cabinet, and he rubbed the spot absent-mindedly. 

By now, the savory smell of beef and vegetables filled the room, and the beep of the microwave told him dinner really was about to be served. He hadn't realized just how hungry he actually was until that moment, and his stomach sent the message loud and clear with a very audible growl. Thankfully, Galo was still in the kitchen, so he couldn't hear it to tease him about it.

Finally, Galo appeared with a plate in each hand and set both of them down on the coffee table. Lio took this as his cue to move his legs out of the way so that Galo would have a place to sit, but Galo was already heading back into the kitchen. "Forks!" 

Lio leaned over the coffee table to admire the pile of food on his plate. This wasn't the first time Galo had made this particular dish, so he already knew it would be good, but somehow it looked even more appetizing than he remembered it being. The cubes of meat looked tender and moist - unlike the last time when it got a little overcooked - and the vegetables had clearly soaked up a good amount of the sauce, yet still retained a lot of their color. He could feel his stomach threatening to grumble again, and prayed Galo would be back with the forks before then.

Galo did reappear and handed Lio a fork, but still he did not sit. "Oh, I'll go get some water, too." He set his fork down on his plate and then turned to make one last trip into the kitchen. 

As much as Lio was ready to dig in, he felt bad that Galo was having to make so many trips. "I can get it," he offered, and moved to set his fork down on the table.

Galo shook his head and gestured for Lio to stay. "Nah, nah, I'm already up, so I'll get it. I don't want you to have to move. " And with that, he disappeared back into the kitchen.

Another smile stole Lio's lips. Seriously, did Galo ever _not_ think about him? He picked his fork back up and brought his plate into his lap. He was ready to dig in, but with Galo running back and forth out of consideration for him, he felt he should at least wait for him to sit down first.

After a minute or so, Galo was back with two glasses of water. He set one down in front of Lio, and then sat down in front of his own plate. He took a big swig of his water before setting it down on the table, and then picked up his plate to begin eating.

No longer feeling rude, Lio scooped up a big forkful and shoved it into his mouth. Just as it had appeared, it tasted even better than he remembered. In fact, he swore it was a little different from the last time he had it, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly why. It felt like everything had been cooked perfectly, but the flavor itself seemed extra good this time. It had a hint of sweetness mixed with the savory, making it extra satisfying. He closed his eyes and savored the taste, and a hum of approval may have escaped his throat, but he was too preoccupied with the deliciousness to notice.

When he opened his eyes again, he was slightly embarrassed to see that Galo had been intently watching his reaction, and he looked very pleased by it. 

"So, what do you think?" he asked, even though he clearly already knew the answer.

Lio nodded his approval as he swallowed. "It's really good! This is your best one yet."

Galo beamed. "You think so? I did something a little different this time. Did you see me add my secret ingredient?"

The blonde shook his head no, and took another bite, waiting for the other to answer his own question.

" _Saké_!" he boasted. "And a pinch of sugar. Y'know that one night I had to stay late last week? Well me and Varys went to this hot pot place afterward, and I had something called _sukiyaki_. It was really good! It made me want to do something similar, so that's what I was going for." He shoved another giant forkful into his mouth.

"I have no idea what that is, but it must be pretty good if it's anything like this." Lio scooped up another mouthful, and now knowing what all went into the flavor, paid closer attention, trying to identify each component Galo mentioned.

Galo nodded enthusiastically. "It was! Oh my god, it was so good. I'll have to take you there sometime. Though after you try the real thing, you'll never wanna eat this again."

Lio chuckled. "Absolutely not true. Nothing beats your cooking." 

Galo looked a little caught off guard by that comment, but tried to play it down. "What? My cooking's not _that_ good, I mean really, I just started learning not that long ago."

After a moment of chewing, Lio swallowed his mouthful. "It's different when it's made by you." He stabbed his fork into a large piece of broccoli and popped it in his mouth. 

That time, Galo wasn't able to hide his blush, and a sheepish smile spread across his features. "Well, I'm glad you like it." 

The rest of their meal went in relative silence as they each enjoyed it at his own pace. Galo had absolutely no problem cleaning his plate, but Lio was beginning to struggle near the finish line. However, it was just too good to let any of it go to waste, so he made sure to finish every last bite. 

He set his empty plate on the coffee table and then fell back into the couch, heaving a heavy sigh of contentment. Galo looked at him and grinned. "Full?"

Lio nodded, eyes closed. "So full."

"Ready for dessert?"

The blonde immediately sat back up. "Yes!"

"Alright, that's what I like to hear! No quitters in this house!" Galo laughed as he stood, picking up both of their plates and carrying them with him to the kitchen. 

A moment later, he came back with two clean forks and the boxed cake slices in hand. He set the box down on the table and opened it so that it lay completely unfolded. He then pulled the makeshift platter closer and then rotated it so that the slices were in front of their respective owners. 

Lio eyed his slice. It was some sort of brown cake with a white icing. He knew it wasn't dark enough to be chocolate, but otherwise he still had no idea what to expect.

Galo had decided to be equally adventurous, going with a pistachio rose flavored cake of all things. Everything about it seemed like a contradiction to Galo as a person; it was a delicate pastel green and pink in color, with probably an equally delicate flavor. Part of him wondered if he hadn't just closed his eyes and gone with which ever cake his finger landed closest to on the glass.

"I have to say," Lio started, "I would've never expected you'd pick that one. I know you were going for something unusual too, but they had so many other flavors I thought you would've picked before that one."

Galo brought a hand up to his neck and absent-mindedly scratched the side of it: one of Lio's telltale signs that Galo's embarrassed about what he's about to say. "It... reminded me of you," he mumbled.

Lio couldn't stop an incredulous laugh from escaping, nor a splash of color from creeping up his face. "What?"

Galo immediately went on the defensive. "The color of the cake is kinda like your hair, and the rose petals on top are the same color as your eyes! See?" He gestured at the cake, as if it should be just as obvious to Lio as it was to him. 

Lio paused and studied the cake for a moment. He supposed if he bent his imagination enough, he could see it. The combination of the ivory icing with the sage green cake did have somewhat of a vague resemblance to how the color of his hair looked, and the decorative petals were a vibrant magenta with a soft orange gradient, very similar to his eyes. But had Galo not framed it like that, he never would've made such a connection. After all, it was a cake, and he didn't exactly have himself on his mind nearly as much as Galo apparently did. It was... endearing, really.

...How was he so _perfect_?

"Galo, you're ridiculous." Lio could feel the blush on his face getting deeper, so as not to draw attention to himself, he leaned over and began unwrapping the clear protective plastic from his slice and hoped Galo's eyes were following that movement instead of staying on him. It seemed to do the trick, as Galo followed suit, pulling the clear wrapper from his own slice. Thank god.

Lio picked up his fork and cut into his piece. He started with a small bite, as he wasn't sure yet if he was going to like it. The cream cheese icing melted in his mouth and gave way to a complex mix of fruity, nutty, and cinnamon-y flavors, without any one overpowering another. All in all, it was fairly mild. He didn't love it, but it certainly wasn't bad. 

He offered Galo a bite, and Galo offered one of his own in return. They took turns trying each other's, and Galo seemed pleasantly surprised by the hummingbird cake. "Not bad! I don't get what it has to do with hummingbirds, though."

"Me neither." Lio pulled the cake off of Galo's fork with his teeth and handed the utensil back to him. The flavor hit his tongue quickly, and he recoiled. "Eugh." He shook his head and tried to quickly chew it down. "I don't make for a very good cake."

Galo chuckled and drove his fork back into his own cake. "Actually, I think it's pretty good! I mean, I'd way prefer strawberry any day, but I wanted something completely different, and this hits the spot." He shoveled the delicate cake into his mouth, yet continued to talk. "And unlike yours," he said, pointing his fork at Lio's cake, "mine tastes just as the name implied, so it's exactly what I expected it would be."

Lio chuckled. "Mine _better_ not taste like the name. Can you imagine eating cake made of actual humming birds? Garnished with tiny little feathers on top like those rose petals?"

"Jesus, Lio, I'm trying to eat, here."

***

Their tummies now at capacity for real, they weren't about to budge from that couch anytime soon. They could feel their food comas quickly setting in, so Lio pulled a couple of blankets off the top of the couch and curled up against Galo. The bulky firefighter knew this would lead to them both falling asleep like this but he accepted his fate, shifting to make both their positions a little more comfortable and wrapping an arm tightly around the smaller man. 

Lio sighed as he felt the warmth envelop him. By now, he'd become accustomed to the fact that his body couldn't warm itself up at will anymore, and for the most part, he felt fine in normal temperatures. But the familiarity of a heat like Galo's body, which ran like a furnace, would always be a comfort to him. Here like this, he felt safe.

Lio brought his free arm up and ran his fingertips lightly over the arm that held him. It was a gentle touch that he knew felt relaxing to Galo. As if on cue, the taller man let out a long, steady sigh, and turned his arm around to give Lio better access to the other side. Lio obliged, lightly tracing his nails over the skin, earning him a quiet purr from the other. They sat like that for a while, neither of them falling asleep just yet, enjoying each other's company in mutual silence.

Before he even realized his eyes had closed, they fluttered back open when he felt the light touch of Galo's thumb stroking his cheek. He looked up and found such relaxed, contented eyes smiling back at him. The varying hues of turquois and sapphire were so mesmerizing, he could get lost in their depths were he not anchored down in his embrace. Gods, how did he land himself with someone this beautiful? The look in his eyes was so pure, so genuine, Lio felt like his heart might physically melt.

Galo leaned down and pulled him into a soft, tender kiss. Lio brought his hand up to thread his fingers through Galo's hair, wanting to pull him even closer, but settled with just having something to touch. The kiss was slow and delicate, their lips barely brushing against each other's, making Lio eager for more. He chased Galo's lips with his own, capturing them into something a little more heated. The taller man indulged him by matching his fervor for a moment, but broke it off before either of them got too carried away. 

With his hand still cupping his face, Galo rested his forehead against Lio's and smiled again. "Love you, Firebug."

Lio huffed out a small chuckle at the pet name, and returned the smile. "Love you too, Galo Thymos." 

He placed one more light peck along the larger man's jaw line and then turned his face to nuzzle into the warmth of his neck. By now, Lio'd heard the L-word plenty of times, yet it never ceased to make his heart leap in his chest. Never in a million years did he think he could be loved like this. He felt lucky, so _so_ lucky, to have this man in his life. 

Despite his cocky demeanor and abundance of energy, when it came to Lio, Galo was selfless, gentle, and full of love. Anywhere else, he was headstrong - act now, think later - but Lio he approached with great care. Why that was exactly, Lio wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps it was just the way he preferred to show his affection, but part of Lio wondered if he didn't subconsciously think he was fragile now that he was without his promare. 

It certainly wouldn't surprise him if that was the case. Over the course of the last year, Galo had born witness to a number of meltdowns on Lio's part as the former Burnish struggled to come to terms with the limitations of his new body. Losing something that had been a part of him almost his entire life did not make for an easy adjustment. He'd become pretty accident prone, frequently forgetting that his skin can and _will_ burn now, and learning the hard way that when he punches a wall out of frustration, he cannot construct armor to protect his fist from the impact. And as if the physical change wasn't jarring enough on its own, he'd simultaneously had to transition into life as a normal citizen and shed his identity as the leader of an oppressed people. Crusading for the freedom of his brothers and sisters, combating the forces that attempted to snuff them out, putting everyone's safety before everything else was the only thing that had ever mattered. He had not once stopped to sincerely imagine a future for himself in which he was free to do anything _but_ fight. After all, the world he'd been born into was one already at war; it was the only world he knew. There were many nights where he wondered if peace wasn't more than a fairy tale, that he was chasing something that would never come to be. He'd been the leader of the Mad Burnish, the world's most wanted; it was far more likely that he'd go down with guns blazing than see a day in his lifetime where he could walk as a free man. Yet, here he was, doing exactly that. 

For a while, he was lost. His only purpose had been fulfilled. He was no longer needed. In the blink of an eye, he'd gone from being the world's strongest fighter, a symbol of hope, to a nobody who couldn't even just _exist_ outdoors for long periods of time without having his skin burned by the sun. So to say that he had whiplash from the whole ordeal would have been an understatement. He was much better about it all now, but it had been a long, rough journey getting to that point.

And Galo had stood by him through it all. He lent him an ear to speak freely; forgave him when he misdirected his frustrations at him; gave him a shoulder to cry on the days he'd felt broken and useless. He never held any of it against Lio, even though he would've had every right to (Lio was a very ugly person when he was upset). Instead, he only lifted Lio up and reassured him that things wouldn't always be so hard. He was right.

Sure, the months following the incident had been a lot to grapple with. And yes, during that time he'd been at the lowest he could ever remember feeling, but one did not become the leader of Mad Burnish if his spirit could be broken so easily. He would make it through. He had just needed time. And now that he'd had that time, things were much better. He'd finally reached a point where he no longer felt the absence of his promare; in fact, it rarely crossed his mind at all. Likewise, thanks to Galo's daily reminders that there was no reason Lio couldn't continue helping people, Lio had eventually landed himself an ironic spot on Burning Rescue's team, giving him a renewed sense of belonging and purpose. Then on top of it all, he had Galo. He had a home.

He had peace.

But despite being in a better place now, he supposed his moments of weakness left a lasting impression on his significant other. Since then, he'd been especially attentive of Lio, as if wanting to make sure he never pushed him too hard. Even when they made love, Lio sensed that Galo might be holding back. By now they'd found a comfortable (albeit, predictable) rhythm, knowing exactly how to make the other feel good, but on most nights, Galo let Lio take the lead, allowing him to set the pace. Not that he minded, he supposed. He enjoyed being the one to make Galo squirm, and such a privilege was one of his favorite ways to show just how much he loved him.

That thought gave him an idea.

The blonde tilted his head up to see if Galo was awake, inadvertently rousing the larger man from his sleepy trance.

"Hey, Galo."

"Mm?" 

"Is there... anything you've always wanted to try, but were too afraid to?"

Galo attempted to blink the sleep out of his eyes and leaned back to get a better look at Lio, his brow knit with confusion. "Huh? Y'mean like... bungee jumping or something?"

Lio shook his head. "No, I mean like... in the bedroom." 

Fully awake now, Galo's confusion only deepened. "Y'mean like, sex?"

Lio rolled his eyes. "Yes. I was wondering if maybe you had any... fantasies, or just, anything you wanted to try that we've never done."

Galo eyed him suspiciously. "Where's this coming from?"

Lio smiled, and brought a hand up to lazily trace a finger over Galo's arm again. "I was just thinking... you're always spoiling me, always doing what you think _I_ want, but I want to spoil you, too. So if there's anything you'd like to do, I'm willing to try it." 

Perhaps he should wait to hear what Galo might say before putting the offer out there, but he couldn't imagine Galo proposing anything he couldn't handle. What sort of fantasies _would_ Galo have, he wondered? Did he even have any? Surely he did, but what? Was he into some kind of roleplay? Crossdressing? He noticed Galo stares at him a lot when he wears his leather pants, but that didn't really point to anything besides liking something that doesn't leave much to the imagination. Lingerie, perhaps?

Galo looked him up and down, uncertain, and momentarily darted his eyes away from Lio's. "I don't want to do anything that wouldn't be fun for you. I appreciate the thought, but it wouldn't be fun for me if it wasn't fun for you too. I wouldn't want to make you go through something like that just for me."

Lio gave him a sideways glance. "So there _is_ something. What is it? Tell me."

Galo swallowed hard. "You're gonna think it's stupid, and you're not gonna wanna do it."

"Let me be the one to decide that."

Galo took a deep breath and let out a long exhale, steeling himself for Lio's inevitable judgment. "Well... sometimes I think back on the time when we arrested you - y'know, when we first met - and remembering how you looked with your wrists and your ankles in cuffs, and I... " he mumbled, letting his words trail off.

Lio raised both his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but it wasn't that. "You want to put me in cuffs?"

Galo threw his hands up in defense. "Look, I totally get if you wouldn't be comfortable with that! I mean, handcuffs meant being captured, I'm sure it'd be scary and uncomfortable for you, so really, I don't want you to-"

Lio laughed and shook his head. "Are you forgetting that I intentionally got myself arrested? There were no bonds I couldn't break out of. Even the Freeze Force's state-of-the-art anti-Burnish shackles were child's play for me. Cuffs were never a threat to me." 

Galo blinked, genuinely confused, as if hearing this for the first time. "Wait, what? You intentionally got arrested?" 

Lio looked at him flatly. Surely Galo knew by now that someone as powerful as Lio had gone all too easily to think that it was anything but an intentional setup. "Yes, intentionally. It was the easiest way to have the Freeze Force give me a courtesy escort straight to where they were holding Burnish captive."

"But you-"

"Put up a fight? I had to make it convincing. I couldn't just walk up and turn myself in without it being suspicious, and the leader of the Mad Burnish wouldn't go down easy."

Galo snapped his mouth shut. Whatever counterpoint he had lined up must not have stood any ground after that statement, so he dropped it. Slowly, Lio could see the gears clicking into place as Galo replayed past events in his mind with the new information. He waved his hands dismissively, getting back to the topic at hand. "Okay, well, regardless of that, you wouldn't be able to break out of those cuffs now. If you were bound, you'd be bound for real. You wouldn't be able to get out of it."

Lio considered it for a moment, but then shrugged. "Still, I have no reason to be scared of _you_ , so I think it'd be fine."

Galo gawped at him. Clearly he did not think Lio would even consider this, let alone agree to it. "Lio... are you really sure about this? I'm serious, I don't want to do anything you're not 100% comfortable with. I can live with one unfulfilled fantasy if it means you're comfortable and happy."

Lio felt his heart pang. This damned sap would be the end of him. "I'm serious too. Let's do this. I want to do it." He offered a confident smile to reassure him, which seemed to relax the other a bit. "And, Galo," he locked eyes with him, his features falling into a slightly more serious expression. "I appreciate how mindful you are of my wants and needs. I know I wasn't in the best head space for a while, but I want you to know that you don't have to be so gentle with me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love it when you're gentle, it's sweet, but I don't want you thinking that I'm fragile. I can handle more than you might think. I won't break, I promise." 

Galo blinked at him, unsure of how to interpret that. "...Are we still talking about sex, or do you mean in general...?"

Lio laughed, and then gave him a casual shrug in response. "Both." He leaned close enough that his lips were a hairsbreadth away from Galo's ear. "I do have a high pain tolerance." Lio was pretty sure he felt the other shudder. 

"N-Noted," Galo stammered out, and then cleared his throat, attempting to regain his composure. "And... sorry if I've made you feel like I think you're fragile. I know you're not. I guess subconsciously I just can't help but want to be extra protective of you after seeing you... y'know... " he trailed off, reluctant to finish the thought.

Lio finished it for him. "Depressed?"

Galo bit his lip, and shook his head. He cast is eyes down, the uncomfortable memory resurfacing. "After seeing you almost fade away. Back then. Of course, anytime I see you upset, it makes me want to protect you too, but that particular image still haunts me."

Lio's heart sank. He knew he had been brought back from the brink of death, and vaguely remembered feeling his body becoming whole again, but he hadn't thought about how that might have looked to Galo at the time, how parts of him surely must've started turning to ash when he'd found him. They'd talked about it before (it was the only way he knew that he hadn't merely passed out), but he hadn't thought about it much outside of his own perspective. Suddenly, he felt bad about being annoyed with Galo's over-protectiveness. 

"Right. I'm... sorry you had to see me like that." He sat up a bit so that he was more eye-level with Galo, and cupped a hand over his cheek. "But! I'm here now." He offered him a grateful smile. "I'm safe and well." He formed his hand into a fist and lightly nudged Galo on the chin. "And I could still kick your ass in a sparring match."

The attempt to lighten the mood appeared to have worked, as Galo flashed him a cocky grin, immediately rising to the bait. "You wish."

Lio hummed a sound like he wasn't convinced by his certainty. "Isn't that why you want to cuff me? Because deep down you know it's the only way you could ever overpower me, and the thought of that gets you off?" he teased, raising a taunting eyebrow.

But Galo knew this game and wasn't going to let him win it. "You're definitely right about that last part." In one fluid motion, Galo stood from the couch and grabbed Lio by the legs, flipping him onto his back. He leaned down over him so that his face was only inches away. "I want to tie you up so that you can't do anything but scream."

Lio stared up at him, eyes wide and face scarlet. It was not often that anyone could render the former leader of a terrorist group speechless, but this moment would join that short list. 

Satisfied that he'd beaten Lio at his game, he gave him one last smug grin before sitting back down on the couch and offering the other a hand to help him back into an upright position, to which the blonde accepted. The former pyro had nothing to follow that up with, so instead, he reached for his glass of water and took a big drink, hoping it might cool the heat in his face. 

Galo, looking very pleased with himself, did the same, suddenly remembering he too had water. After taking a big swig, he twirled his glass around in his hand idly as he thought for a moment. A soft clinking sound filled the silence as the ice tapped against the glass, until the hand holding it paused when a thought came to mind. "Oh, if you're really game to do this, I want to go over a few things first."

Lio set his glass back down on the table and combed his fingers through his hair to fix it back to the way it was before he'd been pounced. "Like what?"

The brawny man downed the rest of his water and set the empty glass down on the coffee table. "Since you're open to trying something a little different, I'd like to do a little experimenting when we do this. Try a few new things and see what you like. Keep an open mind?"

Lio nodded. "Okay."

With the approval, Galo continued. "And, if we're going to do this, I want you to feel completely safe, so let's go over some rules."

Lio nodded, listening.

"Let's use stoplight colors." Galo held up a finger for each. "Green means 'keep going'. Yellow means 'slow it down' or 'don't make it more intense than that'. Red means 'stop the thing you're currently doing, I don't like that'. Use those to tell me how you feel okay? But if at any point you're not okay and want to stop everything, let's have a special word for that." He thought for a moment, trying to think of something easy to remember. "How about 'shelter'? So if you want to stop altogether, you'll say the word 'shelter'. Sound good?"

Lio nodded again. "Seems simple enough." If all these rules were necessary to lay down, Lio could't help but wonder what exactly the other had in mind for this _experimenting_ of his. He'd be lying if he said the uncertainty of it didn't make him a little excited. 

"Good." Galo smiled, but then let his features fall a bit, making it clear that he was serious about what he was going to say next. "I will check with you to see how you are feeling from time to time, but Lio, promise me that you won't wait to tell me to stop if you want me to stop. Don't try to stick it out because you think it's what I want. I don't want that. If you need me to stop, we will stop immediately. Understood?"

By the tone of his voice, Lio could tell he was dead serious. He nodded. "I promise."

Galo leaned over to give him a kiss. "I trust you. And I hope you'll trust me, too."

Lio laughed, feeling at ease already. "I don't know what all you have in mind exactly, but... I trust you. So don't hold back, okay? I'm not afraid. I know I'm safe with you."

Galo visibly softened at that, and scooped the smaller man into a crushing hug. After Lio breathlessly protested, Galo set him back down and laughed. 

Now realizing he had no idea what time it was, Galo looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was well past their usual bedtime. "We should probably head to bed, huh? At this rate we'll both be exhausted tomorrow, and we're gonna need the energy when we get home..."

Lio gave him a mischievous smirk. "You're right. Can't have that, can we? We'd better get to bed, then."

The two of them hopped off the couch and made their way to the bedroom to get ready for bed. It would still be a while before sleep claimed either of them, however, as they both had wild thoughts dancing through their heads of what was to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left comments on the first part! Your positive words really made my day and helped ease my nerves. (:
> 
> Explicit rating applies to this chapter. Hope you enjoy!

As was typical of their shifts at the fire station, the morning had been uneventful. After the Parnassus incident, to help meet the demand for construction workers that far outweighed the need for firefighters, Burning Rescue had downsized its firefighting operations to instead dedicate half of its resources to the reconstruction efforts. This included putting the team on a rotating schedule, with half the members out in the field assisting with construction projects while the other half manned the station. The days at the station more often than not ended up serving as recovery days from their shifts at the construction sites, since without the promare, there were considerably fewer fires to attend to, and the few that broke out were never a match for their far-overqualified equipment. 

Today happened to be one such day, where the team on call spent most of the day in their own little bubbles, passing the time with daytime television, books, and the like. While most of the others welcomed the downtime, days like this often drove Galo crazy. The lack of external stimulation made him too restless to sit still, so he'd usually busy himself with random things around the station, such as cleaning and organizing whatever he could find that needed it, or nosing into Lucia's business to find out what new ideas she had for repurposing some of their tech. So Lio couldn't help but notice when his mohawked companion sat on the couch adjacent to him, quietly fixated on his phone... for going on two hours straight. 

Since their discussion the night before, Galo'd had a different air about him that Lio couldn't quite pin. While he appeared to be in a good mood, he wasn't his usual chatty self, as if his mind was preoccupied with something. It was unusual for Galo to be so contemplative, especially at work, but since it hadn't seemed like anything was wrong, Lio let him be. 

The blonde took a sip of his coffee as he studied Galo over the top of his book. For a guy who normally had the attention span of a goldfish, Galo sure was focused on whatever it was he was reading. Lio had half a mind to come up with an excuse to get up and walk behind the sofa so that he could sneak a glance at his screen, but before he could begin formulating a plan, Galo's eyes flicked up to meet his. 

Lio stiffened. Had he known he'd been watching him? 

Galo's expression then quickly changed into what Lio could only describe as a wicked, carnivorous grin. There was cocky determination, and then there was _I'm going to devour you until there's nothing left but your pretty face_ , which Lio didn't even realize Galo was capable of making until this very moment. It was so unexpected and uncharacteristic that Lio didn't know what else to do but avert his gaze back to the book in front of him, bringing it closer to his face to cover up the heat that started to creep up his neck. What the heck was that? He glanced over to Remi, who sat at a desk on the other side of the room to see if he'd seen that just now, but the vice-captain did not look up from his newspaper. Lio was pretty sure he heard a muffled chuckle coming from Galo's direction, but he didn't want to give him the satisfaction of looking up, so he pretended to ignore it.

Galo heaved out an exaggerated sigh, garnering a side-eye from Remi, and set his phone down on the table. He stood up and stretched, then bounced on the balls of his feet while shaking out his arms, trying to wake his body back up after having sat for too long. There's that familiar restlessness, Lio thought.

Galo shoved his phone in his pocket and started toward the hallway. "I'm gonna go do an inventory check!" he announced, and then disappeared around the corner in the direction of the supply room, to which the vice-captain grunted in acknowledgement.

Lio almost called after him to remind him that he himself had already done a routine check less than a week ago, but figured Galo really just needed something to do, so he dropped it and instead turned his attention back to his book. 

***

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Lio began to wonder just what on Earth he had signed himself up for.

It was clear to him - and apparently, only him - that Galo was acting weird today, and he could only assume that it had something to do with what they'd talked about the night before. When others were present, he was his usual loud and airheaded self, cracking stupid jokes that only he found funny, and knocking stuff off the shelves in the lounge as he practiced new pose ideas with his Japanese mop (er, _matoi_ , whatever). But the moments where he made eye contact with Lio knowing no one else was looking, his aura flipped like a switch, and he'd flash him that same devilish grin again. Lio thought it'd stop giving him butterflies by the fourth time it happened, but instead it only seemed to be making him more flustered. He'd never seen Galo act like this before, and he wasn't sure what to do about it. 

But far worse than that was when Lio stood in the kitchen washing his coffee mug and Galo appeared next to him with a mug of his own. The taller man reached past him to hold his mug under the running water, and as he did so, Lio felt a finger slide under his rescue harness's leg belt, the audacious digit gliding along the curve of his ass cheek before plucking the belt so that it lightly snapped back against his thigh. Lio flinched in surprise and whipped his head around to look at Galo, only to find him acting casual, like there was nothing going on except him rinsing a mug. The bastard was making it a game to see how flustered he could get him, and gods was it working every time. No one seemed to notice that he was lingering a little too long, and a little too close for someone who was just rinsing out a cup, but Lio knew he had to keep a straight face, lest he draw attention to what was really going on. He tried to finish washing his mug quickly, and thanked the stars above when the house alarm sounded, calling them both away from this nonsense.

***

By the time they arrived back at the station, Lio and Galo had approximately an hour and half before the end of their shift. When they were down to the last 15 minutes, the chances of another call coming in during that time were almost non-existent, so Galo decided to go ahead and take his shower a bit early.

Lio, on the other hand, waited until the end of his shift just to be safe. He used that time to make sure everything was in order for the next shift and tidied up the common area for them. By the time he entered the locker room, he could hear the sound of a hair dryer running, indicating that Galo was done with his shower. Lio pulled his bag of toiletries out of his locker and set it on the bench behind him, then grabbed his towel and tossed it on top. As he started to undress, he heard the dryer stop, and knew he probably only had a minute before Galo would come through to get dressed. 

Sure enough, just as Lio had wrapped his towel around his waist and shoved his belongings into his locker, he saw a muscular arm reach out to plant a hand on the locker next to him before he felt Galo slide up behind him again, though this time, he only felt his voice in his ear. "When we get home, I want you to walk straight into the bedroom and take everything off. We'll eat something along the way." 

It was a warm purr that only he would've been able to hear had anyone else been in the room, but even so, he was glad they were alone. Even though everything had gone undetected, experiencing such unfiltered forwardness in their workplace was making Lio's heart pound in his chest. He swallowed thickly at the order, still not used to this new side of Galo, but finding him very persuasive. He nodded quietly, and Galo wandered off to his own locker to get changed, humming as he walked. Lio hurried off to the showers before Galo could turn around and trap him again. 

***

Upon entering the apartment, Lio placed his shoes on the shoe rack and, as instructed, headed for the bedroom. He noticed he did not hear Galo following behind him, and as if reading his thoughts, the larger man told him he'd be there shortly before disappearing into the living room, so he continued on. 

He walked to the far end of the bedroom and set about stripping out of his clothing, placing each article onto the chair that lined the wall as he removed it. Already this was completely different from their usual routine, and he felt nerves starting to set in. Nerves? What was he afraid of? No, afraid wasn't the right word, but still he felt a bit anxious. Nervousness, because he was out of his element, perhaps. Whatever the reason, as he stood naked and exposed in the empty room, his heart began to race. 

When he was finished, he made his way over to the bed. Should he stay standing? Or sit? Unsure if it even mattered, he chose to sit at the edge of the bed and waited for Galo to join him. 

A moment later, Lio caught sight of the familiar comb of cobalt blue hair as it poked through the doorway and looked up to see Galo shutting the door behind him. In his hands was a small bag, which he set down on the floor by the foot of the bed, close to where Lio was sitting. The blonde looked up at him and found he was studying his face carefully. 

"I take the fact that you did as I said means you're still up for it?" he asked, softly running a hand through Lio's hair and ruffling its topmost layers.

Lio relaxed into the gentle touch. "Yes."

"And you remember the rules?"

Lio nodded.

"What are they?"

"Green for 'go', yellow for 'pump the breaks', red for 'I don't like that'."

"And?"

"And, 'shelter' to stop."

Galo smiled and gave his head a small pat. "Good." He crouched down to pick up the bag and carried it over to side of the bed. He pulled out a rolled up towel and shook it out before placing it on the middle of the bed, about where someone would normally lay, if they were going to sleep. Without even looking at Lio, he patted the towel and issued his first command. "On your back."

Just like that, the butterflies came fluttering back. It amazed Lio that Galo could hop between his usual friendly demeanor and this new, commanding persona so easily. He wondered if it would ever stop catching him off guard. He moved to lay on the long towel just as Galo indicated, and laid back. He saw Galo place a square of black cloth on the nightstand, as well as a pair of scissors, which confused him, and almost concerned him, until he saw him finally pull out a couple of bundles of black paracord.

A bundle in hand, Galo climbed onto the bed and straddled the slimmer man. "Arms up."

Not entirely sure what to do, Lio brought both arms up and held them in front of Galo. That appeared to be good enough, as the muscled firefighter adjusted them as he needed, bringing Lio's forearms in so that they pressed together. He unwound the cord, and upon finding the middle, he folded it in half and began wrapping the rope around his wrists. He worked slowly, looping the rope around a few times, crossing the ends over, then uncrossing them and trying it the other way. His expression was focused, and despite the confidence he exuded otherwise, Lio could tell he was having a bit of difficulty. Grateful for the excuse to help ease his nerves, he threw Galo a teasing grin. "What, fireman can't tie a knot?"

"Watch it," he warned, continuing to loop the cord around.

However, there was little Lio enjoyed more than getting a rise out of his partner, so instead of heeding the warning, it only spurred him on. "Need me to show you how to tie your shoes, too?"

Galo was less amused. He reached a hand down to pinch one of Lio's nipples, applying a pressure that he knew wouldn't be pleasant, and the blonde hissed. "I want to make sure I'm doing this right, so unless you _want_ your circulation to be cut off, you'd best be quiet and let me focus." 

Well, he certainly preferred to keep all his digits, so Lio stopped the teasing and let Galo continue. 

On his third attempt, he appeared to have gotten it right, as Galo sat back to look over his handiwork, and nodded his approval. "How's that feel? Too tight? Comfortable?"

Lio moved his wrists around, testing the tightness. While he certainly couldn't slip them out, there was just enough space that he could rotate his wrists freely. Despite how firm the hold was, it felt pretty good. "It's comfortable," he concluded.

Galo beamed, his confidence fully restored. "Good." He reached up to grab the other bundle of cord off the night stand and moved off of Lio to crawl down to the foot of the bed. He tapped the side of Lio's leg as he did so. "Legs together."

Lio followed the order, pulling his knees up to a comfortable angle and closing his legs together. Galo set to work, wrapping the cord around his ankles, mirroring what he'd just done above. The second knot came together much quicker this time, now that he had a better idea of what he was doing. Once he was finished, he looked up at Lio to try and gauge how he did. "Good?"

Just as he'd done with his wrists, Lio attempted to move his feet around. Much like the first knot, the hold was solid, but not uncomfortable. "Yeah."

Galo grinned as he slid off the bed to stand. "Alright, I forgot to bring water with me so I'm gonna go grab a glass for us in case we need it. I'll be back in a sec," he said, and then promptly left the room to go fetch it.

Prone on the bed and alone, Lio now felt more vulnerable than ever. Though there was no one else there, it felt as if the room itself was watching him. In a feeble attempt to adjust his position into something a little more modest, he let his legs fall to the side and brought his knees a little closer to his chest, concealing himself at least a little bit. Even if the new position didn't actually accomplish much, at the very least, it helped him retain a little more of his body heat, which he welcomed in the chilly room. He let his head roll to the side to face the entryway as he waited. As he did so, loose locks fell across his face, but thankfully didn't obstruct his view. He kept his eyes on the door, patiently waiting for Galo to return. 

It wasn't long before the firefighter reappeared with his glass of water, but as soon as he laid eyes on Lio, he stopped in his tracks. He stood there for a long moment, his gaze wandering up and down Lio's body, memorizing every detail. The look in his eyes was absolutely ravenous. "Damn, Lio."

Despite having shifted his position, he couldn't help still feeling like he was on display, like game trapped before a famished wolf. He could almost physically feel Galo's eyes traversing across his body. But even through the mild embarassment, Lio felt a little pride knowing he could have this kind of effect on Galo. 

After he'd had his fill of gawking, Galo resumed his path toward the night stand. He set the cup down a bit too hastily, causing droplets of water to splash out of the cup, but if he noticed, he paid it no mind. There was something else he was much more interested in at the moment. 

He crawled back onto the bed and hovered over his prize. He reached a hand out to brush Lio's hair out of his face, and then, cupping both cheeks, stole Lio into a hungry, heated kiss. He nipped and tugged at Lio's lips, demanding entrance and Lio gave it to him happily. Though just a kiss, Lio knew this was different. There was no caution, no waiting to gauge a reaction before pushing onward. No, it was so eager, so greedy, Lio wondered if he might actually mean to devour him. It was evident that Galo intended to make good on his word about not holding back, and Lio was pleased. 

Lio's own appetite was growing by the minute. Limited though his mobility may be, it wouldn't stop him from sneaking his hands down and reaching for Galo's belt buckle. It was unfair that he was the only one naked; he wanted to feel Galo's skin too, and he meant to fix that. But before he could pull the leather off the metal prong, he felt one hand slide to the top of his head, gripping his hair and yanking his head to the side, while the other seized his rogue hands. Lio let out a small cry, more out of surprise than from pain, and inhaled sharply through his teeth as the grip in his hair held firm. 

"Color."

When he opened his eyes, he found Galo studying his face with cool complacency. If he was nervous or unsure at all about what he was doing, he did not show it. In fact, the look on his face seemed to dare Lio to try that again. 

To prove beyond a doubt that he wasn't bothered, and in fact, was rather enjoying this, Lio met Galo's steely gaze with a cocky smile. "Green." 

The grip in his hair tightened, causing Lio to gasp involuntarily. "I'll wipe that smug-ass grin off your face," Galo growled and then leaned down to sink his teeth into the crook of Lio's neck. He bit down hard, almost enough to draw blood, sending his message loud and clear that he would not tolerate any attitude. Once he got a yelp of pain out of the smaller man, he relaxed his hold, and nursed the raw skin that was sure to bruise with soft kisses. 

He then took Lio's wrists and pulled his arms above his head. He grabbed the long excess of the paracord and tied it around one of the slats of the bed's headboard, securing his wrists at its base, but leaving about a foot of length to give Lio's hands some clearance. Once he was done with the knot, he moved away from Lio and toward the night stand, and flashed Lio a smug grin of his own. "That should keep those wandering hands out of the way." 

Lio threw him a pout and then pulled against the restraint, testing its hold. With the length of the cord as short as it was, he could barely bend his elbows. The most he could do was rotate the cord around, not that that was of any use. 

Galo picked the black cloth off of the night stand and climbed back over to where Lio lay. The blonde watched as he unfolded the cloth on his lap, then re-folded it until it was a long, rectangular strip, and by then he knew what was coming next. Galo brought the cloth up over Lio's eyes and tied it behind his head. When the knot was secured, he moved to tug the cloth around to ensure it fully covered Lio's range of vision. From there, Lio was left to rely on his other senses to figure out what was going on. 

It was only by the feeling of weight shifting on the bed that Lio knew Galo had moved further down, and although he wasn't making physical contact with him, he was pretty sure Galo was still close. But beyond that, he wasn't sure what Galo was doing. Was he looking at him? What was he going to do next? Unable to bring his arms down to cover his body, and unable to see, he felt fully and utterly exposed. It hit him now that what Galo had said was true: he could not get out of this. He could not protect himself. He was completely at Galo's mercy, and the thought of it sent a wave of heat coursing through his body. Without even realizing it, his breathing had quickened, the anticipation of not knowing what would happen making him equal parts anxious and excited.

"Color."

He was torn from his thoughts upon hearing the firm check. His tongue darted out to re-wet his drying lips. It occurred to him then that his anxiousness must be visible, and Galo probably wondered if he was scared. Far from it. "Green," he responded, and surprised even himself with how airy his own voice sounded. 

"Good," the other man purred, his smile apparent in his voice. "You're doing so well." 

Lio felt his cheeks warm with the praise. It reminded him that, despite this dominating persona that Galo was playing surprisingly well, he was still the gentle giant Lio knew him to be. 

Just when Lio was beginning to wonder if Galo had only tied him up to admire him like a new painting on the wall, he felt the larger man's hands gently begin to caress his sides. The unexpected touch startled him slightly, causing him to jump, but he quickly relaxed into the soothing feeling. Large, calloused hands took their time exploring, mapping every dip and curve of his lithe form. He hummed, melting into the comforting touch. But then the touch became much lighter, just fingertip and nail merely ghosting across his skin. It was so light it was almost ticklish. The feathery fingertips played across his chest, then under his arms, and when they ventured down his sides and toward the small of his back, he involuntarily arched his back and his breath hitched. The area there was especially sensitive, and Galo must have known it because he lingered there, letting his fingertips flutter over the skin in a playful dance. A touch that light in such a sensitive spot crossed the line from pleasant to ticklish, and Lio felt a wave of goosebumps roll down his back. Lio was pretty sure he heard a satisfied chuckle, and the hands continued their assault elsewhere. 

The hands migrated north, grazing back over his ribs and up to his shoulders. Lio let out a relieved sigh, as the feeling reverted back to something more relaxing. But before he could settle into a feeling of security, he felt Galo lean down until his lips were all but touching the base of his ear. Hot breath ran down his neck, and Galo's voice came out in a low, velvety rumble. "Mmm... I could get used to seeing you like this."

Lio shuddered, the warm vibration in his ear sending a shiver down his spine and straight to his groin. Galo's unpredictable actions now had Lio's body on high alert, not knowing if he would do something that felt good or fiendishly ticklish. The fingertips played with his collarbone, then trailed back down to the sides of his chest. Every time the nails raked lightly down his sides, his back arched in response. The hands moved up over his chest now, and soft pads circled around his areolas, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake and causing the nipples to harden. As the hands continued to explore, Lio's muscles flinched under every touch, expecting it to tickle even when it was innocent, and soon enough, all the light touches did begin to tickle, even when they had previously felt good, because his body was primed to anticipate it.

He let out a sigh of relief when the hands left, offering him a reprieve from the sensation, but the peace was short-lived as Galo moved to straddle him. This might have been a welcome move, if not for the fact that the sadistic bastard seemed to have intentionally situated himself so that he was barely out of reach of Lio's growing arousal, depriving him of any contact where he wanted it most. The firefighter settled onto the tops of his thighs and used his weight to pin his legs down, preventing the smaller man from rutting up to claim contact for himself. He groaned when he couldn't even so much as wiggle his hips, but if he thought that would be the worst of it, he had another thing coming. 

Without warning, the hands returned, but this time, they weren't there to play nice. Their route was calculated, going straight for his lower ribs and down to his exposed sides. Lio cried out from the sudden over-stimulation, his arms instinctively jerking down to try and fend off the attack, but of course they were stopped short. Was Galo seriously tickling him right now? Despite his protests, the hands were relentless, pressing and squeezing at all his most sensitive spots, while he was powerless to stop them. It was downright cruel. He twisted and turned, desperately trying to roll out of reach from the offensive hands, but he could do nothing.

"AH! Gal- _ah!_ S-Stop!" Lio choked out between giggles, his head thrashing from side to side because it was the only thing he could move. "Please, Galo!"

But the hands did not let up. " 'Stop' isn't our safe word," the taller man reminded him, seemingly unfazed by Lio's desperate plea.

Lio knew that, and of course he didn't actually want to stop. While the over-stimulation was nothing short of _torture_ , to his surprise, it was also sending electrical currents down south, making him wish so badly that Galo would have mercy and turn his attention there. 

After what felt like an eternity, the torment ceased at last. By now Lio was panting hard, face flushed and out of breath both from laughing and from expending so much energy fighting against all his restraints to get away. Though he couldn't see Galo's face, he just knew the sick bastard had a smug look on his face. 

Unexpectedly, he felt Galo reach behind his head and undo the knot of the blindfold, and a moment later, the fabric was pulled away from his eyes and tossed back onto the night stand. The first thing he noticed was that he was right about Galo wearing a shit-eating grin. 

"I see you're enjoying this just as much as I am," the blue-haired man stated, a note of amusement in his voice, and his eyes momentarily flicked down to Lio's now-obvious erection. 

Upon seeing himself more affected than he'd realized he was, he looked away. "Shut up." 

Galo smirked, but said nothing. Instead, he moved himself off of Lio's legs and kneeled beside them. Lio swore he caught another wicked glint in his eye, though what he did next pushed that thought, far, far out of his mind.

Lio watched as the muscled man planted a hand on either side of Lio's hips and leaned down, but to Lio's frustration, he stopped just short of his aching member. Lio was still panting, now with anticipation as Galo stared past his erection and into Lio's eyes, his heated gaze causing Lio's cock to twitch. Silently, Lio begged the other man to go on, and after a long moment, Galo closed the distance and licked the underside of the throbbing head.

The contact was light, but Lio's senses were so heightened by this point that it was enough to make him see stars. A loud moan escaped his throat, and as Galo wrapped his lips around the tip, Lio thought he might actually cry from relief. He took him further into his mouth a little at a time, not so much because he couldn't take him all the way in, but because he felt like taking his time. Gods, was this man trying to drive him insane? Lio noticed he refrained from using either of his hands to help and only sheathed him about halfway into his mouth, and though it felt heavenly, he needed more. Galo's pace was simply agonizing. Desperate for more, Lio bucked his hips, pushing himself further into Galo's mouth, and he let out a loud, satisfied moan. 

But Galo quickly reacted, pulling Lio completely out of his mouth and placing both hands on Lio's hips, pinning him back down to the mattress. "Stay still," he ordered. 

Lio let out a whine, both from the loss of pleasure and from losing what little control over the situation that he'd had for that brief moment. "Galo, please," he begged, hoping the other man would take pity on him. Couldn't he see how badly he needed to be touched? He attempted to buck his hips up into nothing, not really thinking, just needing, only to have them shoved back down by firm hands.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time, Lio," came the warning. "You're not going to want to find out what happens if you don't listen. Stay still."

Lio swallowed, and nodded reluctantly. Giving Galo full control over everything was proving more difficult than he ever imagined it would be, as the guy was moving things along at a painful crawl. He was so used to being the one to lead, to do what he wanted, _when_ he wanted, that it took everything in him to endure this test of patience. It was a wonder to him how Galo himself had been managing to keep a cool head. He looked Galo over, realizing now that despite his collected composure, his face was flushed with lust, and as his eyes traveled further down, he saw that the taller man had what looked to be an uncomfortable bulge in his pants. Lio admitted that his apparent self-restraint was admirable, though he wished he'd be a little selfish and act on his own needs already. 

But apparently, that wasn't what Galo wanted just yet. He leaned back down and resumed where he'd left off, taking Lio's hardened length back into his mouth. This time, he immediately took him about halfway in. Lio threw his head back with a moan as he fought hard to keep his hips in place. By some miracle he succeeded, though the strain of holding his lower half still caused his muscles to tremble. He was sure Galo noticed, as it seemed to spur him on, the larger man working him a little faster, but not taking him in any deeper. The faster pace felt good, so good. Galo was an expert at giving him head; by now he knew exactly where to focus and knew exactly the right amount of pressure to apply in those deliciously sensitive spots that would always make Lio come apart at the seams.

Soon enough, Lio began to feel the familiar heat growing in the pit of his stomach, and he knew he was getting close. He just needed a little more. If only his hands were free, he would like nothing more than to grab a fistful of Galo's hair and shove his stupid sadistic face further down his cock, forcing him to take him all the way to the hilt- 

Without realizing it, Lio had thrust his hips into Galo's mouth so far, he caused the other man to gag. Immediately, Galo pulled away and sat back, and threw Lio an unforgiving look as he wiped spittle and precum from his lips.

Realizing what he'd done, Lio looked back at him in horror. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he started, not sure how to defend himself for his actions. "I didn't mean to! It felt so good, I was so close, I couldn't help-" 

But before he could even begin his case, Galo slid off the bed and picked up the glass of water off the night stand. He took a sip of it to help clear his throat of the thick fluids inside, and then turned to face the chair that lined the wall next to the bed as he decided his next course of action.

"I thought I'd give you a good time, but since you don't seem to want to behave, I think I'll just treat myself instead," he said, looking back at the man on the bed. 

Given how abruptly he'd cut him off, Lio would've expected him to look angry, but instead, he looked... devious. While he was glad Galo was not actually angry with him, he couldn't help feel a little anxiety not knowing how hard Galo would actually punish him. Normally, he was a softie who gave in easily, but today, he was different. 

Galo cleared the pile of clothes from the chair and seated himself, facing Lio. He began undoing his belt and pulling his pants down just enough to free his cock from its confines, and wrapped his fingers around himself. "Maybe I'll sit right here and service myself to completion. Wouldn't take long, with a view like this." 

That _asshole_. 

Lio's cock was still throbbing, and watching Galo pleasure himself a few feet away from him was only making it more painful. It was such an erotic sight; Galo was already rock hard when he sat down, so the moment he took himself in hand, he was already groaning softly. He settled back into the chair and let his head fall back against the top of it, giving Lio the full view. He worked himself slowly, clearly bent on giving Lio a show more than seeking a quick release. With his free hand, he pulled the hem of his shirt up enough to expose his pecs - the ones he knew Lio loved to touch so much - and then used that same hand to lightly roll one of his nipples between his fingers, gasping dramatically as he did. 

Although Lio was pretty sure he was playing it up, seeing his boyfriend pleasure himself that way still had a strong effect on him. He wanted so badly to touch him, to be the one to give him that pleasure. His breath quickened as he watched, frustrated that he couldn't touch or be touched. He wanted the contact so badly. "Ngh... Galo..." he whined. "Please...!"

" 'Please' what?" he asked, not breaking from his task. He pinched his nipple again and sucked in a breath, bucking his hips into his hand.

Lio imagined those hips bucking into him and his arousal twitched at the thought. Gods, he wished that were him. He ached for that feeling inside him. "I need you so badly," he mewled. "I'm sorry, I'll be good, I promise!" 

Galo thrust his hips into his hand again, his dick now slick with his own precum. "Mmm... Not sure I'm convinced," he teased, and continued to stroke himself. He never took his eyes off of Lio, clearly enjoying how much it was getting to the smaller man. With heavy lids he smiled, drunk on the sight before him. "Fuck, Lio, look at you..." 

Lio couldn't help a small whimper from escaping his throat. He was about to lose his damned mind. His neglected arousal was painfully hard and he couldn't take it anymore, he needed to be touched. He let out a pitiful sob, abandoning whatever shred of dignity he may have still had. "Galo, god, please fuck me, I'm begging you, _please!_ " 

At last, that seemed to have won him over, as the taller man stopped stroking himself and smiled victoriously. "Alright, since you asked so nicely... I suppose I'll give you one more chance." He stood to remove his pants and boxers the rest of the way, and then discarded his shirt and sleeve. He stood next to the bed and looked down at Lio. "Are you gonna be good for me?"

Lio nodded vigorously and almost cried with relief when Galo crawled back onto the bed. The blue-haired man leaned down to lick one fat stripe along the underside of Lio's cock, followed by a kiss to the crown, eliciting a strangled moan from him, and then shifted to kneel near his feet, where he began to undo the knot around his ankles. This confused Lio at first, but he wasn't about to complain about his legs having freedom of mobility again. Once the paracord was removed from his ankles, he bent his knees up to relieve himself from the stiffness of having his legs locked together for so long. 

Galo was kind enough to give him that moment before ushering him to roll onto his stomach, which he did with a bit of difficulty. Lio was unable to use his elbows for leverage, so Galo helped him rotate his body until he was flat on his stomach. He then eased the smaller man up so that he was closer to the headboard, giving the cord there enough slack that he could put some of his weight on his elbows, and coaxed him onto his knees. Galo moved off the mattress and adjusted the pillow under Lio's head so that he was comfortable. He combed his fingers through Lio's hair and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on his forehead, and smiled at him. "You're so beautiful," he breathed, momentarily breaking character, before grabbing the bottle of lube from the nightstand and crawling back onto the bed behind Lio. 

Lio's cheeks flushed at the unexpected compliment and felt his heart swell in his chest. But he would not get to savor the feeling for long as he soon felt a slick finger tease his entrance, stealing him away from all thought in an instant. He gasped as the digit pressed against the entrance, eager to feel it slide inside, and he let out a long, shaky sigh when it did. It was only a single digit, but after waiting for so long, it felt so good, so right, as it pushed inside. Shortly after, a second finger joined the first, scissoring lightly to help stretch him wider. He turned to bury his face into the pillow, stifling a moan, but a hand reached up to his jaw and nudged him to turn his face back on its side. 

"Don't do that. I want to hear your pretty voice," the man behind him cooed as he continued to work his fingers in and out. 

Lio closed his eyes and sighed, contented as his body began to relax around the slick fingers. While he was given the lead most of the time, he'd been on the receiving end often enough that his body was used to this, and he loved the feeling. Especially when-

Lio's eyes flew wide and he cried out, his body jolting as the two fingers curled inside, grazing against his prostate. The motion sent a shockwave through his body, and he wanted so badly to grind back against those fingers, but he feared if he disobeyed Galo again, he may not let him come, and he might actually die if it came to that. So he stayed still, graciously accepting what treats Galo was generous enough to give him.

A third finger slid in, and while it wasn't painful, it was full. It was only when the fourth and final finger was inserted that Lio's breath caught in his throat, wincing from the pain. Galo soothed a hand over the small of Lio's back, drawing light circles with his fingertips. Lio focused on the feeling, the sensation giving him goosebumps around the area, yet still relaxing him. The hand roamed further up his back and back down his side, the nails raking ever so lightly over the taut, lean muscle. Eventually his body began to relax and the pain subsided. When he let out a sigh, Galo took that as his cue that he was ready, and he pulled his hand back out to begin lubing himself up. Lio heard the snap of a bottle cap and then felt the blunt tip of Galo's hard length press against his entrance. He took a deep breath, bracing himself - even four fingers never fully prepared him for Galo's girth. 

Slowly Galo pushed inside, inch by inch, trying not to give Lio too much at once. When he was about half-way in, he paused to give Lio a moment. "Take your time. You're doing great," he reassured him, and rubbed small, encouraging circles on his back again. He gave him a minute to settle, and when he felt Lio's body finally relax, he pushed himself the rest of the way in, and let out a satisfied groan. "God, Lio, you already feel so amazing." He savored the tightness, waiting for Lio to adjust around him, and when he felt less tense, he began to move. 

It was gradual at first, moving only as fast as he felt he could without hurting the man under him. He was so tight and hot around him, it took every fiber of his being to not just slam his hips into him, but he remained steady, taking care to ease the other into it. He moved like that for a while, until he finally felt like he could move without too much resistance. 

Now that Lio was starting to get used to the size, he was grateful when Galo finally picked up the pace. The slow movement was nice at first, but much like the pace Galo had been setting the rest of the night before this, he was going to start getting impatient if he drew it out any longer. But he felt he wouldn't have to worry about that happening again, as he could hear the sound of Galo moaning in earnest now, and knew the man was finally allowing himself to indulge. It was evident that he was focusing less now on maintaining control and more on seeking his own pleasure, as his movement became more fervent. With each greedy thrust, it sent a shudder down Lio's spine. It felt good, and he couldn't help wanting to meet Galo's hips with his own in the hopes that he could get him to go even deeper. 

"May I... move?" Lio asked between labored breaths, hoping Galo would grant him this allowance. 

Galo looked down at him, momentarily surprised by the request, but then smiled, pleased. "You _are_ being good! Yes, you may."

Grateful, Lio began rocking his hips back into Galo's, meeting each thrust with his own, and moaned with the punctuated pleasure that it brought. Doing so must have sent the message to Galo that he craved more, wanted him deeper, because the blue-haired man started pulling nearly all the way out, and then slamming back in to the hilt, causing Lio to cry out as he struck that bundle of nerves deep inside. For a beat, Lio was overwhelmed by the sensation, but then quickly resumed his erratic attempts to match Galo's rhythm. 

With the intent to repeat that with more control, Galo sought a position that would grant him better leverage. He bent over Lio so that he was resting his weight on his elbow next to him, and hooked his arm under Lio's to get a firm hold of his shoulder. He brought his other hand up to grasp a fistful of Lio's hair, keeping his fingers close to the root so as not to hurt, but giving himself a steady grip. With this stronger leverage, he now pounded into the smaller man unforgivingly. He knew he'd succeeded in finding that sweet spot again when each strike caused Lio to cry out louder than he'd ever heard him before. 

Galo leaned down to lick and kiss Lio's bared neck, needing something to do with his mouth. "Mmm... You're so perfect, Lio..." By now his cool and contained facade had long fallen, and he was freely moaning into Lio's ear as he chased his pleasure.

With Galo's arms wrapped so possessively around him like this, holding him in place as he had his way with him, in that moment, his world was only Galo. As the firefighter pounded into him so selfishly, taking what he knew was rightfully his, Lio knew he existed only for him. His entire being belonged to Galo. 

The new, lower angle Galo was forcing him into had the larger man nearly fucking him into the bed. With each powerful thrust, it pushed the tip of Lio's leaking cock into the towel, and the combination of that delicious friction with Galo striking against his prostate had him so close to tipping over the edge, he could hardly see straight. 

"Ah! Galo...! _Ah!_ I'm... so close..." he whimpered, begging Galo to give him release. 

And Galo was merciful. He let go of his hold on Lio's hair and snaked his hand under Lio's hips to take his erection in hand and pump in tandem with his thrusts. A couple of strokes was all it took to push Lio over the edge, and he came hard against the bed with a shout. His orgasm hit him in such a rush that his eyes watered, and honest to god, he didn't know if if was just that or if he was actually crying, but he did not care.

Galo was not far behind. He sank his teeth into Lio's shoulder, nipping and sucking at the skin, and with a few more thrusts, he reached his climax, spilling his hot seed inside. He thrusted into him a couple more times, riding out his orgasm, and then slumped against Lio's back. He left a few sloppy, wet kisses against the back of his neck before pulling out and rolling to lay next to him. 

He took a moment to catch his breath before remembering that he needed to untie Lio. He sat back up and reached over to begin undoing the knot at the bottom of the headboard when he looked over at the smaller man and saw tears streaking down his face. He momentarily froze with panic. 

"LIO! Oh my god, are you okay? Did I hurt you? What do you need?" He scrambled over Lio to swipe the scissors off the night stand and then set to work at cutting the paracord off of his wrists instead of taking the time to undo the knots. "I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you say any safe words so I thought you were fine, oh my god I'm such a fucking idiot-"

Now freed, Lio brought a hand up to cup over Galo's mouth, cutting him off. He was still attempting to catch his breath, and his body trembled from one last aftershock, before he flopped onto his back. He took a minute to recover before finally responding. 

"I'm fine." He wiped the tears off his face and laid the back of his hand across his eyes to shield himself from his embarrassment. "...It was just the most intense orgasm I've ever had." 

Galo blinked at him a couple of times, taking a moment to process that Lio was in fact okay, and that he'd also just admitted it'd felt so good he cried. 

"Wow... well, that's a relief," he said, placing the scissors back on the night stand. He laid back down next to Lio and took both of the paler man's slender wrists in his hands, and brought them up to press soft kisses against the tender skin. "You were amazing, Lio. You did so good. I can't believe how good you were for me." He then took one wrist at a time and began gently massaging it. 

Lio let out a contented sigh, and flashed him a grateful, albeit sheepish smile. "I didn't even know I could feel that good." He then side-eyed him playfully. "And I didn't know _you_ could do that. I can't believe you've been holding out on me this whole time."

Galo momentarily stopped massaging to stare at him, and then laughed. "I really never thought you'd go for the whole bondage thing! And I didn't want to put you in an awkward position of feeling like you either had to reject me, or go along with something you were uncomfortable with, so I figured I'd never bring it up."

Lio softened, and reached the hand Galo wasn't working on up to run his thumb over the firefighter's cheek. "You're much more thoughtful than you let on, you know."

Galo scowled at him. "You sayin' I'm stupid?"

Lio chuckled. "No, I'm saying you're _thoughtful_ for someone who otherwise typically acts before thinking."

Galo narrowed his eyes. "Sure sounds like you're still saying I'm stupid."

Lio couldn't stop the traitorous smile from stealing his lips. "Well, you are, but that's not what I was saying."

Lio was grateful that his arms were free this time when Galo reached out to tickle his ribs. The blonde laughed and squirmed, having not intercepted the hands before they reached their target, but at least he could pry them off. Galo leaned down to bury a kiss into the base of his neck, and then rolled off the bed to head into the bathroom.

"Let's get cleaned up so we can go to bed. I dunno about you, but I'm wiped." 

Lio nodded and slid off the bed. "Yeah, I could definitely sleep," he agreed. He picked the towel off the bed and, after using it to wipe himself off, tossed it in the hamper along with the rest of his clothes before joining Galo in the bathroom. 

After they finished cleaning up, they climbed back into bed and slid under the covers. Lio spied the remnants of the paracord Galo had cut away from the headboard and picked it up to examine it. As he rolled it around in his fingers, it dawned on him that he'd seen this exact cord before. "Isn't this the same paracord we keep at the station?" he asked, throwing Galo a suspicious look.

The bulky firefighter shrugged and looked away, a sure sign that he was guilty. "Dunno."

"Galo, did you seriously steal this from work?" 

"I'll replace it!" he finally conceded. "I knew we didn't have any and I didn't want to wait and go shopping, so I borrowed some."

Lio held the mutilated ends of the cut cord in front of Galo's face for him to see. "This is hardly 'borrowing'."

Galo waved a hand dismissively. "I'll stop by the hardware store and pick some up tomorrow, alright? Sheesh."

Lio smiled, amused, and tossed the mess of cord into the trash can next to the night stand. He settled back under the covers, and wrapped himself tightly around Galo. With the direct skin contact, their collective body heat warmed him up almost instantly. He nuzzled his face against Galo's shoulder, trying to get as close to him as physically possible, and let out a contented sigh. He was pretty sure even burning his promare out hadn't left him feeling as satisfied as he felt right now. 

The larger man rubbed small circles over Lio's back as he too basked in the comfort of the embrace. If Lio'd had his eyes open, he would've found a dopey smile on his boyfriend's face as the man looked off to the distance in thought. 

"So," Galo started, breaking the cozy silence. "Before we get sleepy, I do have to ask. Was it too much? Was I too rough?"

Lio looked up and smiled at him, then shook his head. "Not even close. Everything felt amazing."

Galo visibly perked. "Yeah? Even the tickling?"

The blonde thought back on it for a moment, and nodded. "...Surprisingly, yes. Where did you even get the idea to do that?"

Galo shrugged. "I just did things that I knew I would like."

"Everything?" Lio inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, pretty much. I've had a lot of ideas... Figured I'd try some even if they didn't work for you."

"Is that so." 

"What's that look for?"

"Hmm, nothing."

Galo eyed him suspiciously, but decided not to prod further. Instead, he continued onto his next question. "Follow-up question - would you do it again?"

Lio hummed, a small smile playing upon his lips. He had gone into this thinking he was merely humoring his partner, but realized he had come out of it having discovered new things that turned him on, much to his surprise. "Yeah," he replied. "I admit, since I'm used to leading, I didn't know how I'd feel about giving up control, but I also didn't know you could be that dominating." Thinking again about his boyfriend doing with him as he pleased made him shudder. Never had he felt so much like he belonged to Galo, though he refrained from voicing that part. "It was... hot. Really hot."

"You like that huh?" Galo grinned, and Lio swore he saw his chest puff up a little. "Likewise, even though you gave me permission to tie you up, I wasn't sure how much you'd go along with it, but you ended up being so sweetly submissive for me..." His grin was wicked. "I didn't know you could beg like that."

Lio felt a rush of heat wash over his face. He turned his eyes away to look at a spot on Galo's chest instead of his face. "Don't get used to it."

"Too late. You already threw that door wide open. You can't give me a taste of it, tell me that it felt so good that it made you cry, and then act like we aren't going to do that a hundred more times." 

"I wasn't _crying_ , my eyes just watered."

"Same difference."

Lio laughed. "Alright, whatever, but this whole ordeal has made me really want to do all those things to you, too. Especially now that I know you're more of a freak in bed than I took you to be." 

Galo flashed him an impish grin. "What, now you want to tie _me_ up? Sure, _if_ you can pin me down. But good luck with that."

"Don't underestimate me, Galo Thymos."

"I won't make it easy."

"And I won't play nice." 

"Sounds like a challenge. "

"Mm. I look forward to it."

A moment of silence hung between them as their eyes met, locked in an intense stare as if trying to prove to each other who was more serious, before they both broke down into laughter. Somehow they were always baiting each other into stupid competitions like this without even realizing they were doing it. Lio doubted there was a day that'd gone by since he met the idiot firefighter where it didn't happen at least once, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

They both settled back into their comfortable embrace, Galo wrapping his arm around Lio's shoulders and hugging the smaller man tightly against himself. He leaned his head against the mop of tousled blonde hair and brought his other hand up to caress along Lio's jawline until the base of Lio's head rested neatly in his hand. Idly, he stroked his thumb over Lio's cheek, and then over the shell of his ear, until the pad of his thumb met with the smooth metal of his earring. He rubbed his thumb over the polished surface, and gently felt along its rigid edges, studying it. 

"I've always wondered about this," Galo started as he continued to play with the jewelry. "The fact that you still have this obviously means it's a real earring, right? But it sure does look exactly like what your armor was made out of."

Lio smiled, a bit wistfully. "Yes, it's a normal earring. But it wasn't originally," he recalled. "When I started to become more conscious of my appearance as a teen, I got curious about how certain jewelry would look on me, so to try it out, I made things with my flame. The only thing I ended up liking the look of was the one earring. I wore it often, but the thing about the promare is-" he corrected himself, " _was_ , that the solid constructs only lasted as long as you were conscious of them. Eventually I got tired of having to remember to put it on, so I got a real one with a more permanent existence. As you said, this one looks very similar to how the solid flame looked, which is exactly why I chose it."

Galo hummed with interest, rolling the bit of metal between his fingers one last time before letting it go and placing his hand back along the curve of Lio's neck. "I had no idea there was such a story behind it! I wanna hear more stories about young Lio."

Lio laughed dryly. "It's mostly dark, to be honest."

Galo frowned, unable to argue that, as much as he wished he could. "Still, I wanna know everything about you! Well, as much as you're willing to share, of course. I won't force ya to tell me about your past, but to make it fair, I'll share some of my stories sometime, too." 

Lio smiled, and nodded against his shoulder. "I'd like that." 

Lio cast his eyes down to the hand he had placed on Galo's chest, watching it rise and fall with the larger man's breathing. The conversation reminded him of the countless other times he played around with promare constructs over the years. On the nights he took watch for the camp, he was granted some of the only time he would ever get to himself, and often he would pass the time creating small things, like tools and various accessories, to help keep him awake.

He recalled specifically a night a couple of years back where, out of perhaps a morbid curiosity, he was overcome with the urge to construct himself a ring. He didn't kid himself - he knew he would never get married. Even if he wasn't imprisoned or dead within the next few years, society would never allow him the right. So knowing he would never actually experience it, he just wanted to know what it would feel like to wear a ring on his left hand; to imagine for a moment that he was part of another man's life in such a way that he would be asked be his partner for life. How happy ordinary citizens must be, to have such a privilege.

He remembered rotating the smooth, obsidian ring around his finger, trying to memorize the feeling of its weight on his hand. And trying, but failing, to brand the image of it in his mind when his vision was too blurry to see it, before letting the construct disintegrate into a puff of smoke, his thoughts extinguished along with it. 

Lio subconsciously clenched his hand into a fist with the feeling that tightened in his chest. He brought himself back to the present, focusing again on the rise and fall of Galo's chest to help ground him. He reminded himself that things were different now, better - that that part of his life was behind him. He was free. He was here. He was _home_. He had a future after all, and in that future he had found a man who loved him wholly and unconditionally.

His breath caught in his throat as the realization hit him.

That wasn't something out his reach anymore. He could... really have this.

His heart pounded in his chest, suddenly nervous as he stood before a door that had just opened in front of him. As he looked beyond the threshold, the imaginary figure from before now had a face. It was easy to picture the two of them building the rest of their lives together, and in fact, it was harder to imagine life without Galo. Being with him just felt _right_. He didn't know if he was ready to take that leap with their relationship just yet, but he knew that he wanted it, and knowing that there was nothing to stop him from having it filled him with such an overwhelming sense of joy that his eyes threatened to well up again. 

Before that could happen, he sat up and reached over to turn off the lamp. With the cloak of darkness, he dabbed the heels of his palms over the corners of his eyes to quickly wipe away any evidence of moisture before his partner could sense anything was amiss. But thankfully, by the sound of his slowed breathing, he was pretty sure Galo was falling asleep anyway.

He settled back into the covers and resumed his position against the warmth of Galo's body. He closed his eyes and tried to match the rhythm of Galo's breathing in the hopes that his mind would slow down and allow him to be lulled into sleep. Unfortunately, however, this would be the second night in a row where his thoughts would keep him wide awake for a while yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it this far, thank you SO MUCH for reading! I hope you enjoyed my first (and maybe only? I'm not sure) work for this fandom. It felt good to write again after so long. This was 100% self-indulgent, and as a result, I feel like it's all over the place, BUT! I had fun with it. If nothing else, I hope it brought you a temporary escape from all the doom and gloom going on in the world right now.
> 
> Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts if you have any, so please feel free to drop me a comment. (: 
> 
> Update 11/25/2020:  
> I need to give the BIGGEST OF SHOUT-OUTS to my dear friend [BethAdastra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BethAdastra/pseuds/BethAdastra) for drawing jaw-droppingly gorgeous art inspired by this fic! She is insanely talented and captured the emotions so beautifully, I'm still compromised by this gift. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check out her work!  
> (Warning: NSFW) <https://twitter.com/bethsaphelion/status/1331431626367229952?s=21>


End file.
